Spirit Songs
by Bellamariette
Summary: In the midst of their adventures, the Spirit Detectives are given a new teammate, with the strange power to hear Songs from within.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This story starts right after the boys rescue Yukina. I also had this story under another account but I never finished it. So this is a slightly different version. Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer: If I owned Yu Yu Hakusho, why would I be writing fan fiction?**_

_Chapter 1_

"Alright Boton" Yusuke demanded "What's this 'meeting' about?"

"Yeah, we aren't going on another mission are we?" Kuwabara complained.

"No sillies!" Boton laughed "Come on now, we're almost there!"

The trio walked down a street towards the forest where Yusuke had first met Hiei and Kurama. _What a coincidence_, Boton thought as she walked in, the boys right behind her. It was the middle of the night, but none of them were worried. She led them into a small clearing, nestled between two giant trees. It was peaceful, and Yusuke laughed in spite of himself.

"What's so funny, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked defensively.

"Last time I was here I was supposed to capture Hiei and Kurama" he laughed again "Look how that turned out"

"They said they'd meet us here…" Boton thought out loud "Where could they-"

"This had better not be a waste of time" Hiei warned, dropping out of the trees. He landed soundlessly in a crouch, not even bothering with a greeting as usual.

"And hello to you, Hiei. Where's Kurama?" Boton sniffed.

"The fox is right behind you" he said, emotionless as ever.

"Could we get on with this meeting please? I don't mean to be rude, but I do have some important business to attend to." Kurama politely asked as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Oh, right! Well, if you're all done appearing out of nowhere, Koenma has asked me to introduce you to your new teammate!" Boton looked excited, but she was the only one. The others simply exchanged looks of disbelief.

"Whoa!" Yusuke exclaimed "A new teammate?"

"Who said we were a team?" Hiei muttered, getting a disapproving glance from Kurama.

"Yeah! And why do we need another guy anyway? We don't need help from some wuss" Kuwabara protested.

"First of all" Boton put her hands on her hips "You are a team, whether you like it or not, Hiei. Second, your new teammate is a girl. And third, she is definitely not a wuss"

"You mean we have to fight with a girl?" Yusuke shook his head "Sorry, but we're already a full house"

He began to walk away, but Boton grabbed his arm.

"Yusuke Urameshi, you are not going to leave before she even shows up!"

"And why the hell not?"

"Because I just got here" a voice called. A girl stepped out of the trees. She wore a dark t-shirt and jeans that made her nearly invisible in the dark woods. Everyone except Hiei and Kurama whirled to see their new member. The two demons had heard her coming and turned with a little more dignity. "Sorry I'm late. I'm still not used to this city"

"This is her?" Kuwabara exclaimed "Any punk off the street could take her!"

"Don't forget, you said the same thing about Hiei" Yusuke reminded him, but he was also skeptical about this new girl.

"You're comparing her to me?" Hiei snorted, turning his head as if he couldn't even bear to look at her. She folded her arms and stared at him defiantly.

"Your Jagan doesn't make you all-powerful" she said softly "And I do have a name"

Everyone fell silent, mostly in shock. The girl shifted her feet so she was leaning against the tree and brushed some of her long brown hair out of her eyes. A loud beeping noise finally broke the silence.

"Oh!" Boton exclaimed. She pulled a mirror out of her pocket and snapped it open "Yes sir?"

"Boton! Get your butt into the Spirit World now! I need you immediately!" Koenma's voice roared.

"Yes sir, I'm on my way!" she said, a little too relieved to be leaving. She closed the mirror "I'd better get going! Ta-ta!" she giggled and took off on her oar.

"Boton!" Yusuke cried out after her "You stupid Grim Reaper!" He was considering shooting her with his Spirit Gun when a sharp noise behind him made Yusuke turn around.

"Hiei, no!" Kurama moved to step in front of Hiei, but Hiei had other plans.

"Stay where you are, Kurama, or you'll have another stomach wound"

Kurama hesitantly stepped back, but his eyes never left Hiei, whose sword was level with the girl's throat. She and Hiei stared at each other, the same unreadable expression on their faces.

"Who are you and how do you know about my eye?" he asked calmly.

"My name is Anne" She replied, just as calm "And as to your eye, I could hear it from miles away"

"You… you heard his eye?" Kuwabara asked, confused.

"What's going on here?" Yusuke looked back and forth between Hiei and Kurama. They both had curious expressions.

"You hear Spirit Song then?" Kurama asked.

"Yes" she nodded. Hiei shook his head in disgust.

"Koenma sent one of _you_?" he spit out the word "Does he doubt my eye's power?"

"Koenma didn't send me" Anne's voice stayed level but annoyance flickered across her eyes "I chose to come"

Silence again. Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged uncomfortable looks while the other three didn't offer any explanation.

"What's Spirit Song?" Kuwabara finally asked.

"It's like Spirit Energy, but only a few people can hear it" Kurama explained "Its basically your essence, put into a song" His eyes glanced at Anne "It can be very powerful if you know how to use it"

"What's the point of that?" Kuwabara laughed "You can't fight by hearing music"

"I can tell you've fallen in love with someone, you pride yourself on your honor, and some people find you very annoying," Anne shot back, making Yusuke burst out laughing, and Kurama hide a smile. Even Hiei's mouth twitched as he tried not to smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, fists balled up.

"Exactly what I said"

Hiei gave a short laugh and lowered his sword.

"I won't kill you" he said "Not yet at least"

Anne just grinned, a surprising change from her previous face.

"Well, you've got Kuwabara down pat" Yusuke laughed "I'm Yusuke and you've already met Hiei and Kurama" He clapped Anne on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the team" Kurama smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: Seriously, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or anything in it.**_

_Chapter 2_

Yusuke walked down a busy shopping street with his hands in his pockets. He had nothing to do and he hadn't heard anything from Boton or Koenma since the other day.

"Stupid baby's probably finding something that'll get me killed, again." He kicked a rock on the ground and turned the corner.

"Oof!" he walked straight into someone and fell to the ground "Hey, watch where you're going!" He brushed himself and stood up.

"You should watch where _you're_ going, Yusuke!" a high voice retorted.

Yusuke whipped around to see Keiko with her hands on her hips. She was glaring a hole in Yusuke's head. A girl stood next to her, slightly in the shadow of an overhang, holding in a laugh.

"I suppose you think this is funny" he shot at her, fists clenching.

"That's no way to talk to someone you've never even met!" Keiko glared at him "If you had bothered to show up at school today you'd know she just moved here!"

"Its okay" the girl smiled. _She looks familiar…_ Yusuke thought "Yusuke Urameshi, right? I've already heard about him" she laughed and moved to step forward, but tripped and fell onto Keiko. She was knocked off balance and fell into a puddle on the street.

"Keiko! Are you okay?" Yusuke asked. He reached over to help her up.

"I'm so sorry!" the girl stepped out of the shadows. It was Anne. "Did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine" Keiko smiled "Just wet"

"Good thing we're in the shopping district" Anne laughed.

"Yeah, you could use another skirt" Yusuke commented. Keiko slapped him.

"Why are you so immature?" she shouted "I'm going to dry off!" She marched into the nearest store and slammed the bathroom door.

"What'd I do?" Yusuke asked, puzzled.

"Are you really that clueless?" Anne asked as she walked after Keiko.

"Clueless? About what?" He asked, trailing after Anne. She just shook her head and sat down outside of the bathroom. Yusuke sat next to her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. After the "meeting" they had all gone their separate ways, Kurama and Hiei had headed deeper into the forest, Kuwabara and Yusuke had walked towards town, and Anne went back the way she came from. Yusuke still wasn't sure if she was a demon or not.

"I was hanging out with Keiko" she only half explained "But now that you're here I need to warn you" Anne gave a cautious glance at the bathroom door, "There's someone not too far away. I think it's a demon, and it's powerful"

"What?" Yusuke exclaimed "How can you tell?"

"I can hear it." The doorknob started to turn "Be careful, and don't forget, we just met" Anne stood up as the bathroom door opened. Yusuke followed her example.

"Yusuke this is Anne, in case you didn't have the decency to introduce yourself" she said, still fuming, Anne smiled.

"I just moved here from the States" Yusuke could hardly believe how quickly she seemed to change personalities. One minute she was warning him of danger and the next she was back to a cocky schoolgirl. That made Yusuke notice he wasn't the only one that didn't obey the dress codes. Keiko was in her uniform, and Anne wasn't.

"We're going shopping" Keiko said "Why don't you come with?" Her voice told him saying no wouldn't be smart. He grumbled a reply and Keiko took off with Anne and Yusuke behind her, neither looking very excited about shopping.

"You know," Yusuke began as Keiko stepped into a clothing store "For hanging out you don't look too happy"

"Shopping isn't my thing" Anne rolled her eyes "The only reason I haven't left is because you'd probably ditch her too"

He gave a nervous laugh as Keiko stepped out of the dressing room. She wore a short red skirt and a matching blouse.

"How does this look?" she asked, giving the skirt a little twirl.

"You don't want my opinion" Anne smiled. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, again.

"Hmm" Keiko looked in the mirror "Let's go to the next store" She walked back into the dressing room. Yusuke groaned and Anne laughed and elbowed him in the gut.

Five stores later Keiko finally had an outfit and the three were walking to the park.

"Well, I guess I should leave you two alone" Anne grinned slyly.

"What?" Yusuke and Keiko both exclaimed. Anne opened her mouth to tease them, but instead shouted

"Watch out!" she shoved the two into the wall as a giant stone block fell down.

"What the hell was that?" Someone called out.

Right above where Yusuke and the girls had been standing was a huge hole in the side of a building. Rocks still fell down like a rain, but they were much smaller than the block that had nearly crushed the teenagers. Anne stepped away from the wall to check out the damage, but froze before she could look closer.

"Yusuke?" she whispered. Yusuke pulled up Keiko and looked at Anne. She was visibly pale.

"What's wrong?" Yusuke took a step closer to her. Keiko was too busy staring at the hole to notice him or the crowd growing around them.

"That guy I was talking about, he's here" Anne looked at him "And he's stronger than I thought, but…" she trailed off.

"Where?" Yusuke asked, calmed than he expected.

"Behind us" she closed her eyes "And it sounds like he's on a motorcycle"

"You can hear all that from Spirit Song?"

"No" she opened her eyes "I can hear someone revving their engine, which probably means they want to take credit for this" she pointed at the wall.

Yusuke nodded, Anne was smarter than she looked.

"Watch Keiko. I'll be right back" He turned around to see a man on a motorcycle, just like she said.

"Be careful" she nodded back and stepped closer to Keiko.

"Where's Yusuke?" Keiko asked absently. _Shock, maybe. _Anne thought.

"Something came up" Anne smiled at her "He'll be back as soon as he can"

"Oh" Keiko's eyes flashed disappointment then anger, but eventually just sighed "Alright"

Even then, Anne heard Yusuke and the mystery man's Songs move and another familiar one come closer.

"Keiko! Anne! What are you doing here?" Kuwabara called.

"Keiko was still staring with the rest of crowd, so Anne whispered,

"Something punched a hole in the building, and Yusuke's gone off with him"

"Urameshi did what?" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Be quiet!" Anne hissed. She glanced around, but no one was listening.

"Who'd he go with?" he asked, quieter. His hand clenched in a fist, ready to summon his Sword if he needed to.

"I don't know." she shook her head. They could hear an ambulance and police cars in the distance, coming closer. Not that they could do much good.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Anne and her hoodie.**_

Chapter 3

Boton flew through the trees as fast as she could. Everyone else was waiting back in the clearing. Yusuke and Kuwabara leaned against the trees. Hiei sat on one of the branches and Kurama stood in the shadows below him. Boton looked for Anne and found her lying on the ground.

"So you killed this Toguro guy, and now he's alive again?" Anne asked.

"I think it's wiser to assume he wasn't dead in the first place" Kurama corrected her.

Boton stopped her oar and hovered on the edge of the clearing. They had beat her there and were catching up Anne on the details of their last mission.

"Okay" Anne nodded "But he's back and invited you to a tournament that you have to be in, or you'll be hunted down and killed?"

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me" Yusuke mumbled.

"Actually" Boton interrupted "Spirit World just received a message that you need to hear"

The demons and the humans turned towards the ferry girl. Hiei dropped down to a lower branch and Anne sat up. Boton pulled out a piece of paper and began to read.

"Koenma, as you know Team Urameshi already has four members; the humans Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara as well as the demons known as Hiei Jaganshi and Kurama. It has come to our attention that there is a third human, just recently discovered, who meets the Dark Tournament qualifications. The human Anne Kimako has been entered as a substitute alternate. Although Team Urameshi now has five members, Tournament regulations require a fifth member to be entered as a fighter. We expect you'll make the required adjustments. Sincerely, the Tournament Board"

She looked up at the group. Kuwabara immediately began protesting.

"She's just a girl! There's no way she can do it!"

"Weren't you listening?" Hiei shot at him "she doesn't have a choice"

"But she doesn't even have any training!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Then I guess you'll have to train her" Yusuke said calmly.

"And what about you?" Boton demanded.

"I'm going back to Genkai's temple for some training of my own"

"Oh" Boton said, surprised that Yusuke was taking responsibility for once.

"Hiei and I will help Kuwabara and Anne" Kurama offered. Hiei glared at him but said nothing.

"At least someone remembers I have a name" Anne stood up and brushed off her jeans. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow" Yusuke replied.

"Okay, she nodded "Then we'll meet here tomorrow morning to start training. Sound good?"

"What about school?" Boton asked "Won't your parent worry?"

"School won't do any of us good if we die in the first round" Kurama grimaced. They all nodded in agreement.

"And the parent thing isn't really an issue for me" Anne pointed out.

"Or me" agreed Kuwabara.

"Same here" said Yusuke.

They were silent for a few minutes until Boton spoke again.

"I'd better get back to Spirit World. You all be careful!" She waved and flew off on her oar. There were some questions she wanted answers to.

"Yeah, I need to be home soon" Kuwabara sighed "See you tomorrow" Yusuke just nodded goodbye and followed Kuwabara towards the city.

Anne reached down and grabbed a hoodie off the ground. As she stood up a blade sliced the air. Anne jumped back onto the tree roots, landing in a crouch. Kurama remained under another tree, but Hiei was gone.

"You're less experienced than that fool Kuwabara" Hiei's voice called out "What makes you think you could even make it past the first round?"

Anne was silent. Her eyes were closed and her hand was slightly tapping her thigh. Kurama watched her intently. He knew she was Listening, but what did she hear? Hiei's laugh filled the air.

"You can listen all you want but all you will hear are echoes"

"How much do you know about Song?" Anne retorted, her eyes still closed "I can hear you running in the trees and I know exactly where you are" She pivoted slightly on one foot and opened her eyes.

A streak of black shot at her and she side-stepped just in time. Hiei rebounded off the tree but Anne dodged him again. As long as his attacks were this big, she could dodge him forever. He landed and turned slowly, katana now in hand. Anne cursed under her breath and Hiei grinned. In such close distance he could kill her with a flick of his wrist, and she would never see it coming.

"You can't predict my movements now, can you?"

Anne glanced around for a weapon. She wouldn't stand a chance with her bare hands. She broke of a long branch and jumped down from the roots, holding her makeshift staff.

Hiei shook his head and charged. Kurama watched as his blade quickly sliced the branch to pieces. Anne tried to attack back but Hiei was too quick. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her knees with his katana at her throat. She raised her free arm up in defeat.

"You'd better be ready tomorrow. We will not go easy on you" In one motion he put his katana away and let go of Anne. Her arms fell to her sides as she stood up, smiling. Kurama watched intently as she laughed, she was very different from what they had expected.

"Did you think I was expecting you to go easy?" she asked, but Hiei was already walking away. Kurama waved goodbye and followed the fire demon.

"Did you really think that was necessary?"

"Hn"

What Kurama couldn't figure out, though, was since Anne was obviously American, why did she have a Japanese last name?


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Please read and review!**

_**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is Anne, okay?**_

_Chapter 4_

Two people walked through the crowded city streets. The one in the hoodie strode in front, most people simply getting out of her way before she pushed past them. The second one in a blue uniform with bright orange hair was less intimidating. He apologized to everyone he bumped into.

"Hurry up Kuwabara" Anne said, without looking back.

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

Anne sighed, she hated being late, and she could already faintly Hear Kurama and Hiei in the forest. She flipped up her hood and began humming under her breath. Slowly in front of her a narrow path of people appeared. She grabbed Kuwabara's hand and pulled him through the crowd.

"How'd you do that?" he exclaimed.

"I learned how a long time ago" she sped up a little as trees began to appear. The demons' Songs were louder now. She closed her eyes and led them to the clearing. Kurama and Hiei were already there, but that was no surprise.

"Good morning" Kurama greeted her "Are you ready?"

Anne simply nodded. Kuwabara thought for a second, and then nodded too.

"Good Hiei and Kuwabara will remain here. Anne and I will go deeper into the forest"

Kuwabara opened his mouth to protest, but caught Hiei's eye and closed his mouth again. It was obvious neither of them were happy about it. Anne flipped her hood back, showing her brown ponytail.

"Let's go" she smiled. Kurama nodded.

"Keep up" he said simply and took off. Anne raced after him. They went deeper into the woods. Kurama was silent and swift while Anne was slower and knew any demon would have no chance following her.

"Still there?" Kurama called out.

"Yes" Anne replied, concentrating on her breathing.

"Not bad for a human" he turned and disappeared behind a tree. When Anne turned too, he was gone.

"Use your powers to find me" his voice called out "Your training has begun"

Anne grinned and closed her eyes. _Pocket change_ she thought. The sounds of Spirit Songs came rushing in. Everything from the trees to the bugs flying by seemed to be fighting to be the loudest. Anne easily tuned them out and focused on Kurama's. She'd only heard it three times, but she knew it well enough to find him. There is was, faintly, to her right. He was suppressing his Demon Energy, but suppressing energy rarely affected your Song. In most cases it made your Song louder and clearer since there was less in the way. Very, very few people could actually make it softer, but it took a life time of training.

Anne shook her head, _Find Kurama, don't give yourself a technique lesson._

"You're in that tree" she said, pointing. There was a flash of red as Kurama jumped out and into another tree. Anne heard him moving all around her for a couple seconds, and then he stopped.

"Find me now"

"There" she pointed. He moved again.

"Now"

"There"

The trees shook again, but this time they didn't stop.

"Follow me" he took off running in the trees. Anne took a deep breath and ran after him. She focused on his Song, letting her feet do the running.

Another Song suddenly got louder. There was a crack and Anne suddenly exclaimed,

"Oh, shit!"

"Rose Whip!"

Kurama stood on a branch jutting out from the tree, his Rose Whip in his right hand. Anne was about fifteen feet away, still in a crouch from dodging the whip.

"Are you hurt?" Kurama dropped silently to the forest floor. Anne stood and grinned.

"Nothing serious, but I'm glad I didn't wear my favorite shorts" Kurama glanced down to see what she meant. Her baggy green shorts had been ripped down the front and fell off even as he was looking at them. He blushed and turned around, but Anne just laughed.

"Relax! I've got another pair on" Kurama looked over his shoulder and saw Anne was wearing a pair of smaller black shorts. "I didn't know if I should wear tight or baggy clothes" she admitted "so I wore both. I've never really trained with a demon before" She smiled as Kurama laughed.

"What you're wearing now will work, but the sweatshirt might restrict your movements, or also get ripped"

Anne nodded and pulled her hoodie off, showing a t-shirt for an American band, the first hint at her background. Kurama made a note of it. Anne still puzzled him. She had a human aura, but she definitely was not a normal one. _I'll figure it out in time_, he decided as he turned around.

"Shall we continue then?" he asked.

"Bring it on" she grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hope you enjoy! Please read and review! I want to know if people like it. It'd going to take me a little longer to update from now on because this is about where I stopped writing last year so I have to write it now…**

_**Disclaimer: If I owned Yu Yu Hakusho, then this would have made it into the series.**_

_Chapter 5_

Anne was dead tired but she refused to let it show.

"You're almost as stubborn as Yusuke" Kurama laughed, Anne gave weary smile back.

For a week now she'd been training with the fox demon. Despite his normally calm behavior, he was brutal in their training. He tested Anne's limits over and over again, never once letting up. Anne's muscles were sore everywhere, after training she could barely walk home, but wouldn't accept help from Kurama no matter how much he offered. The training was working though. She was much faster and he'd given her a makeshift staff that she could fight pretty well with. She could listen to Songs while still being alert to her surroundings. She still had a lot of room to improve and they had only worked on a small portion of her powers, but Kurama still thought they were making good progress.

Anne slowly walked through the clearing to the spot she and Kurama met at. Normally, Anne had to listen for his Song to find him, but today he was sitting cross legged on the ground, eyes closed. He looked like he was meditating, or maybe just relaxing.

"Good morning, Anne" he said without opening his eyes.

"Morning" Anne sat down next to him; he'd tell her what was up when he was ready. She leaned against an old tree, breathing in the fresh air. She didn't like waking up early much, but she loved how peaceful everything was in the morning.

"Do you see the rock over there?" Kurama opened his eyes and gestured.

"Yeah" There was a rock about the size of a soccer ball leaning against a tree a couple yards away.

"Break it"

Anne nodded and listened for no more than a few seconds before she softly sang. The rock began to shake as small cracks appeared, until finally, it shattered. Tiny pieces flew in every direction. Kurama moved to cover his eyes, but Anne sang a little higher and they fell harmlessly to the ground in front of them.

"Impressive" he nodded "You've done this before, then?"

"Yeah," she grinned "Rocks are easy. I've done that to things like car engines. The more complicated the object, the harder it is."

"I see" Kurama pulled out a seed from his pocket "What about the reverse?" placing it on the ground, he asked "Can you make this seed grow?"

"Yes," she nodded, "but it could be a while"

"Go ahead" Kurama said. Anne closed her eyes and it was a full minute before she began to sing. This time she sang higher, louder. Ten minutes later, a small plant emerged from the seed and grew rapidly from there. The stem shot up and thorns pushed out at the sides. Leaves grew in all directions until a single red bud appeared at the top. As the last note of the song rang out, it bloomed into a beautiful, blood red rose.

"Good job" Kurama touched the flower and the stem broke off right above the ground. He looked it over and nodded again, then stashed it in his hair. Anne opened her eyes and smiled.

"Rose, I could have guessed"

"I am partial to them" he gave a small smile.

"Now what?" Anne asked.

"Now you do it again" he pulled out more seeds from his pocket "and again"

"Better get started then, right?" she grinned.

For the rest of the day, Kurama produced seed after seed for Anne to grow. By nightfall, they were surrounded by a small country's worth or plants. Kurama nodded approvingly.

"Good job, Anne" He stood up and offered her his hand. She smiled and took it. As he pulled her up, her foot caught in a root and she fell right back down.

"Anne! Are you okay?" Kurama knelt and brushed the hair out of her face. She was doubled over and crying. Laughing.

"No matter how much training I get, I'm always going to do stuff like that" she said once she'd calmed down. Kurama laughed and pulled her up straight this time.

"It's getting late" he said "You'd better go home" Anne didn't respond. She looked at the plants around them.

"What are you going to do with them?" she asked, completely changing the subject.

"Collect the seeds and neutralize the plants"

Anne gave him a blank look, he laughed again.

"Some of the plants are too dangerous to leave alone. I need to make them safe"

"Oh" Anne said "Do you want any help?"

"Won't your parents worry about you?" he asked "It's well past sunset"

"It'll be fine" her eyes looked sad for a split second but she quickly covered it up with a grin "C'mon, just tell me what to do"

"Do you know how to collect seeds?" he asked after a pause. He was still unsure of Anne. Her background was a complete mystery.

"Yeah, but you might have to show me how for a couple" she nodded at some of the more unusual plants.

"Alright then, start with the plants you know, I'll help you with the rest"

Anne smiled, and immediately started working. Kurama watched her for a few seconds, and then started his own job. There was still a lot about Anne they didn't know, but they'd find out soon enough.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Heehee. We're getting to the good part soon! Read and review please!**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, however much I wish I did**_

_Chapter 6_

Another week with Kurama made Anne's voice hoarse. They relied on body language a lot more. But after two weeks together, it was pretty easy to get their message across. At the end of the week, Kurama was no where to be found.

"Kurama?" Anne said softly, Kurama's demon ears would hear her easily. There was no reply. "Kurama?" she called again, silence. She listened for his song.

"Rose Whip!"

Anne flipped out of the way and the Rose Whip sliced the grass where she'd been standing.

"What the hell, Kurama?" she shouted to where she heard his song.

"The Tournament is in three weeks and it's your turn to train with Hiei" his voice called out.

"And this is your way of saying goodbye?" she scoffed.

"This is how I find out if you're ready"

"I'd be dead by now if you were actually trying"

"That's to your advantage then"

Anne grinned, she knew she would lose, but it would be a worth while fight.

"Rose Whip!"

This time, Anne was ready. She jumped back and watched the Rose Whip fly back. From the Whip and his Song, Anne knew Kurama's exact location. But he knew hers, since he could see her aura. Close combat was out of the question. Kurama was much stronger than her and could simply plant a see on her that would end the fight immediately. She could fight him from a distance. His demon ears would pick up her singing, and she could dodge his Rose Whip if she was careful.

Kurama's Song was complicated and told both a lot and next to nothing about him at the same time. Two weeks was more than enough time to memorize it. Softly, she began to sing an old hunting song that clashed with Kurama's. It was ironic that she was the one singing it when Kurama was the one hunting her.

"Rose Whip!" Anne jumped out of the way and into a thorn bush.

"Damnit!" she cursed, stopping the Song for a moment. As she untangled herself from the bush, more thorns grew in front of her. Anne cursed again. She could hear Kurama getting closer. She pulled out her staff and began to swing at the branches, but they grew back too fast. Anne sighed and began to Sing a different Song.

"That won't work"

Anne looked up. Hiei was standing on a branch out of reach of the thorns. He had a hint of a smug smile, seeing Anne trapped below.

"Why not?" Anne gave up trying to get through the bush.

"Kurama's using his energy to make the plant grow. You can't stop the plant until you stop him"

"And by the time I do that, the plant will either be too thick to escape, or will have already killed me" she sighed. Kurama had already won. She sat down and waited for Kurama to arrive. There was nothing she could do, except, maybe… Anne looked around, all she needed was a small opening. Just to her left was a small hole wide enough for her staff. Just as the thorns came closing in, she jammed her staff through the hole and spun it so it was big enough for her. She took a deep breath and dove through. She barely made it, and the hole closed right up behind her.

"So you managed to escape" Kurama nodded as he walked up, "Unfortunately, that only makes is harder for you"

"What do you mean?" Anne gripped her staff, preparing for him to attack.

"Pay attention!" Hiei hissed "You've got more than one opponent here"

"What?" Anne exclaimed, turning around just in time to block Hiei's katana "I can barely hold off Kurama, now I'm supposed to fight both of you?"

"The Tournament will probably be just as fair. Those facing you will not hesitate to use any advantage they have to kill you" Kurama explained, pulling out his Rose Whip. Anne swore under her breath. She spun her staff and flipped away from the demons. Hiei followed after her with his katana. Anne managed to block his blows, but she ended up backing away without her own chance to attack. Kurama hadn't moved, his Rose Whip still ready to strike as soon as she was off guard. She took another step back and tripped on a tree root. As she fell, the breath was knocked out of her. A foot was planted on her chest.

"Pathetic," Hiei frowned. His katana was pointed at her throat "I should kill you now"

"You wouldn't miss me?" she smiled. Hiei grunted and stepped off Anne. Kurama sighed and offered her his hand. Anne smiled again and let him pull her up.

"Tomorrow you'll go with Hiei. Don't expect it to be anything like your training with me"

Hiei simply sheathed his sword in reply. Anne laughed and nodded.

"What's so funny?" he glared at her.

"Nothing," she grinned "You just make me smile"

Something flickered across Hiei's eyes. _What is this girl?_ He wondered.

Anne brushed off her clothes and started back to the clearing. Her hoodie was still there. As she approached Hiei she stopped.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then?" She cocked her eyebrow.

"Find me" he nodded. Anne laughed.

"I'm looking forward to it" she walked past him to Kurama "Catch you later, I guess. Thanks for everything"

"My pleasure" Kurama smiled and nodded. Anne looked thoughtful for a moment, then leaned over and gave the fox demon a hug. He froze in surprise at first, but laughed and hugged back. They parted and Anne continued on her way, giving a wave over her shoulder.

"What is with that human?" Hiei frowned. He couldn't quite figure her out, and it bothered him. He'd have to figure it out during their training.

"I'm not quite sure yet" was Kurama's reply.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So sorry this took so long to get up! I've been swamped with homework and stuff like that… Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I certainly did ;) Read and review!**

_**Disclaimer: I have no money, how could I possibly own Yu Yu Hakusho?**_

_Chapter 7_

"Long time, no see, Kuwabara" Anne grinned.

"Yeah, it's been like two weeks, hasn't it?" he nodded "Probably the longest two weeks of my life" Anne looked up at him

"Was it really that bad?" she asked. Kuwabara looked down at her. She didn't look worried, just curious. Something about her reminded him of a little sister, not that he'd had one before, an older one was plenty.

"Not really," he shook his head "He just doesn't like me for some reason"

_Maybe because you're in love with his sister?_ Anne thought. Kurama had filled her in on most of the details of the group.

"Well, you should be fine with Kurama," she said finally "though I'm not sure what your training will be like since we don't exactly have the same powers"

"Yeah," he said "Well, see you around"

The two had been walking down the same path they had followed two weeks ago. As Kuwabara walked away from the clearing, Anne waved good bye and closed her eyes. She could find Hiei with her eyes open now, but it was a habit. There he was, to her left. Anne sprinted in his direction, hoping he wouldn't run away from her. She'd never be able to keep up.

She found him leaning against a tree. His arms were folded over his chest. He glanced up at Anne as she walked to him.

"Faster than I thought" he said under his breath.

"Thanks" Anne smiled.

"So tell me," Hiei pushed off the tree with his foot, so he was standing on his own "How is it that you hear Songs?"

"What do you mean?" Anne asked.

"I mean, I've never seen a human who had the ability, let alone one as long as you"

Anne smiled and leaned back on a tree.

"What? You haven't used your Jagan yet?"

"Why should I bother just for a human?" he retorted. Anne laughed.

"So, I'm not worth it?" she stepped forward and pulled off her sweatshirt "Guess we'd better get started, so I can prove I am."

Hiei looked at her curiously. She was wearing clothes like the ones she'd been in yesterday- t-shirt and shorts, and she still had that damn smile. She tossed her hoodie to the side.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready as I can be" she nodded.

Hiei charged at her, slow enough for her to see, but she still had little time to react. She sidestepped and swung her staff up.

"You anticipated my move" Hiei nodded. He'd turned around after her sidestep to attack from above. He pulled his katana back and charged again. Anne blocked and returned the attack. Hiei blocked and charged again. They continued the cycle, dancing around each other. They fell into a rhythm. Block, attack, block, attack. Their weapons moved too fast for normal eyes. Hiei eventually pulled back.

"I'm going too easy" He looked at Anne.

"Well if just barely keeping up is easy," she grinned, slightly out of breath "then you'd better step it up"

Hiei frowned slightly, _What is with this girl?_ Anne cocked her eyebrow,

"What are you waiting for?" she called "I thought you didn't like me!"

Hiei smirked,

"You asked for it" he jumped down and attacked.

Anne fell to the ground, pain erupting from her chest. She hadn't even seen Hiei move, but suddenly he was above her, still smirking.

"What? Too fast?"

Anne looked at him, still trying to catch her breath, fighting against the pain. Hiei shook his head and turned.

"Don't come back until you're actually ready" he began to walk away, sheathing his katana.

"Wait!" Anne called, struggling to her knees "How… the hell… am I supposed… to get better if… you won't train me?" she demanded, rising to her feet.

_How hard did I hit her?_ Hiei wondered. She had looked fine until she'd stood up. Even now, she was trying to look normal, but he could see how she clenched her jaw, how pale her skin was, even though it was normally very pale. Especially against her dark brown hair that had managed to mostly fall out of its ponytail, so it framed her face and-

Hiei frowned, why was he thinking like that? His attention snapped back as Anne bit back a groan.

"Sit down" he instructed. Anne gave him a blank look "Sit" he said again. Anne made a move to sit, but her legs gave out from underneath her. She began to fall but Hiei moved and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Thanks" she whispered, suddenly out of breath. Hiei simply nodded, shifting her so he held her off the ground with both arms. Carefully, he lowered her to the ground.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked.

Anne hesitated, wondering whether or not to admit she was hurt. Finally, she gave in, pointing to her chest. Hiei gently pushed down on different spots.

"Ow!" Anne gritted her teeth "Right there"

Hiei nodded and started to pull up the bottom of her shirt, but stopped when Anne exclaimed

"What are you doing?" she blushed.

"I'm checking if your rib is broken, what did you- oh" he looked away when he realized how Anne might have misinterpreted him-

"Oh, sorry" she smiled, apologetically. Hiei returned back to work, wondering why she'd jumped to such a conclusion, and why his heart, which normally beat very slowly, had beat several times in the past few minutes.

Hiei gently looked over Anne's ribs. One of them was definitely broken; he'd need the fox's help. He tugged down Anne's shirt, and pulled off the blindfold on his Jagan.

_Kurama?_

_Yes? What is it? _He replied.

_Anne has a broken rib._

_Already? _He sighed.

_Yes._

_I'll be there in a minute._

Hiei covered his Jagan again,

"Kurama will be here soon"

"Okay," she nodded, making a move to sit up.

"Don't." Hiei put a hand on her shoulder. He hesitated a second then pulled off his cloak "Here." He tossed it at her.

"Oh," she caught it, surprised "Thanks." She rolled it up and put it under her head like a pillow. Hiei, now shirtless, sat down a few feet away. The two waited in silence for Kurama. When he arrived, he gave both of them a once over before shaking his head.

"A broken rib?" he asked. Hiei nodded. Kurama knelt next to Anne.

"Could you lift your shirt a little so I can see the break?" he asked politely. Anne stifled a laugh as Hiei looked away, and lifted her shirt. Kurama looked at her quizzically, but didn't say anything. He examined Anne's ribs, occasionally applying something to her side.

"Would you sit up please?" Kurama asked. Anne nodded and Kurama helped her sit up. He wrapped a bandage around her chest, and then helped her lay back down.

"There, you'll be fine in a day or two. The ointments have already started working" Kurama stood up.

"Thanks" Anne sat up, happy to find the pain subsided to a dull ache.

"Be careful, don't rush it" Kurama warned.

"Don't worry," Anne smiled "I'll be fine."

"You'll have to let one of us take you home." Kurama said "You're in no condition to go alone." Anne shook her head.

"I'll be fine" she said, standing up to prove it. Unfortunately, as she stood, a stabbing pain shot through her chest. She collapsed, and this time both Hiei and Kurama caught her.

"I'll take her" Hiei said to Kurama "The baka is still waiting for you"

Kurama looked at him.

"Are you sure?"

Hiei simply nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you later then" he stood up and left. _Something's going on between those two._

"Ready?" Hiei asked Anne. She shook her head.

"Not really"

"Which direction?" he asked. Anne pointed. "Let's go" he leaned down and picked her up in both his arms. As Hiei started running, Anne found it hard to think about anything other than how Hiei still hadn't put his shirt on.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: So I've been horrible with updating and I'm not sure how often I can do it, but here's the next chapter anyway!**

_**Disclaimer: Seriously, I can barely afford a lunch.**_

_Chapter 8_

"It's this one" Anne said, pointing at a long dirt path. Hiei looked down at her, slightly skeptical. The path didn't look like it was used often.

"Your house is down there?"

"Yes" she nodded "But I can walk from here" She tried sliding out of his arms, but he lifted her slightly and took off. Anne closed her eyes, there was obviously no point avoiding it. It only took them a minute to reach the entrance to Anne's house.

"This is it?" Hiei asked. They stood at the end of the path. In front of them was an entrance to a cave. It was surrounded by green grass, and off to the side was a small garden. The light from behind them lit the entrance, but beyond that was pitch black.

"Yes" she tried to get out of Hiei's arms, he held tighter "It's an illusion, but there's traps and only I can get past them" Hiei smirked.

"I think I can handle it"

Anne looked up at him.

"It's your death wish"

"We'll see about that"

Hiei walked into the cave, looking for any signs of a trap. The first one was easy. Blades flew at him from all directions. He dodged them easily, keeping both him and Anne out of danger.

"Not bad, but don't get too cocky" Anne grinned.

After that was a straight drop down. In the pitch black it was hard to see, but Hiei easily jumped out. Next a series of boulders rolled out of nowhere at them. Hiei simply jumped aside. They continued like this for a while, obstacles would appear and Hiei would simply work around it and move on. After a while he grew impatient.

"How far does this cave go?" he demanded.

"The last one is coming up" she grinned "You might want to let me take over now"

"Hn" Hiei ignored her, still running. He felt the ground begin to give way beneath his feet, and he slowed down just a little, but it was enough. Vines lashed out from all directions, reaching for his arms and legs. He jumped in order to dodge them, but ended up tangled in more. They were hard as rock, but very flexible. Anne finally pulled free of Hiei's grasp and landed safely on the ground. The vines, now firmly wrapped around Hiei's wrists and ankles, began to slide to the rest of his body. He tried reaching for his katana, but the vines were too tight.

"Would you like my help now?" Anne asked, smiling.

"What are these blasted things?" He struggled, pulling and twisting, trying to escape.

"Charged rock" she explained "Master uses them to hold intruders until he can take care of them" She jumped up onto one of them. She began to sing softly, and the vine slowly lifted her up until she was even with Hiei "Master and I are the only ones who can release someone from them"

Hiei watched reluctantly as Anne coaxed the rock away, starting with his legs, so he couldn't start slashing them. Once he was free, Anne smiled and walked deeper into the cave, with Hiei right behind. She knew exactly where she was going, even with human eyes. _Is it from memory, or is she Listening?_ Hiei wondered. After about five minutes, she stopped and knocked on the wall.

"Who is it?" a man's voice called out.

"It's Anne, we've got company"

The wall disappeared as she finished speaking and a very strange man walked out. He wore an old black robe the looked odd next to Anne's clothing, and carried a tall wooden staff. He looked to be in his 30s or 40s, but gave the impression of someone much older. His eyes had the look of someone who had seen many places, yet they also had the spark of youth.

"A demon?" he asked, looking Hiei over.

"He's helping to train me" Anne smiled.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Hiei shot at him. The man laughed.

"You must be Hiei then, I imagine Kurama would be much politer" he laughed, turning around and stepping into the doorway "Come in, come in!"

Hiei looked over at Anne, who burst into laughter.

"What?" he glared at her.

"Nothing" she smiled "Let's go" she walked into the doorway, Hiei hesitated, then followed after her.

Inside, it was brightly lit and seemed to be a combination of Imperial Japan and modern America. In one corner, a pair of katanas leaned on a refrigerator. There was a closet stuffed with jeans, kimonos, and sweatshirts. On the wall hung paper fans and posters of American bands. Anne walked up to the closet and tossed in her sweatshirt.

"Make yourself at home" Anne smiled. Hiei shot her a look somewhere between a glare and confusion.

"So how did you get hurt?" the man asked "I'm assuming that's why you're home early"

"I'm fine" she sighed "I was just being careless"

"Nevertheless" he said "Let me make sure you're okay"

"She's fine" Hiei said. They both looked at him, slightly surprised "Kurama already treated her"

"Kurama did?" the man nodded "I suppose there's no need to double check. Tell me" he said thoughtfully "Does Kurama have white hair?"

"His hair is red" Hiei replied "What's it to you?"

"Ah, and his eyes?" he ignored Hiei's question.

"Green" Anne cut off Hiei, who was about to make a nasty remark. She looked at the man. _What's up with the questions?_

"I see. Then I must be thinking of someone else." He walked to a corner of the room, "Are you staying or have you finished what you came for?"

Hiei hesitated only half of a second, but it was there. He turned to Anne.

"I expect you to be ready tomorrow"

"Of course" she nodded "No resting broken bones" Hiei glanced at the man, and then left the way he came in.

"Strange little demon" the man said.

"Don't underestimate him" Anne laughed.

"You shouldn't either." There was a moment of seriousness then he and Anne looked at each other. They smiled and burst out laughing.


End file.
